Art of cooling and drying air.



W. J. BALDWIN.

ART OF 000mm AND DRYING AIR.

- APPLICATION FILED SEPT-26,1917- 1,292,562,

Patented Jan.28,191 9.

WILLIAM J. BALDWIM, U35 BROUKLYN, NEW YGRK.

Application filed September as, 192?.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, l/VILLIAM J. BALDWIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York. have invented certain new and useful improve talents in the Art of Cooling and Drying Air, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to 1. .iproveinents in the art of cooling and drying air, and as Well to the process as to the apparatus.

The invention is useful. among other purposes in the ventilation of apartments in hospitals, hotels and private living apart ments; and one especial use is as a table air cooler, for cooling the air at dining tables in hotels and other buildings. For the apparatus, by which the process is operated, can be made in such small sizes that one of them. can be put on a. table. and. if desired, concealed in foliage antl flowers. or by other decorative devices. and furnish (lry cooled air to the great comfort and satistao tion of the diners. especially in hot muggy Weather.

The invention is based upon the application or" the following principles. among others The hygrometrie quality of air. that is. its ability to take up Watery vapor. depends among other thing upon the temperature of the air; the ability of the air to take up Watery vapor rising as the temperaure of the air rises. The moisture remains in the air as a gas at the temperature and pressure of [steam at the same temperature as the air is. This gas is somewhat lighter. in its specific gravity. than the air. and can not. therefore, While in this gaseous condition, be sepa ratecl from the air by the centrifugal force of rotation.

If. however. We lower the temperature of the air, We diminish its ability to contain waterv vapor; and. it the air is near the saturation pointfor its given temperature. then, by lowering the temperature of the air below its saturation temperature. We con dense the watery vapor. and. so to say. squeeze it out of the air in the form of dew or other appreciable vapor (not a true gas) of Water. and we thereby put the Water into a form in which the centrifugal force aris- 111g from rotation of the am and such dew Specification of Letters Patent.

cooling the air to separate the Water gas.

condensing it into the form of a dew or vapor which can be affected by centrifugal force, so as to separate it from. the air, and preventing the return of the water into the dried anti cooled air. We can ultimately w deliver the air free from the moisture and at any desired low temperature. We can. therefore, deliver air for ventilation and other purposes cooled and dry. and this is a matter of great utility and importance.

In the performance of my process. i can. as will appear from what has been hereinbefore stated. use melting" ice as the air cooling agent. (and which is. in fact, one of the most convenient agents in use and most readily obtained). For, although the melting of the ice tends to make the air very clamp, up t its point saturation and even heyoncl. that snclr damp air would be very unpleasant for many people; yet, as will be plain from What has been before saitLI can bring the air to a temperature at which the excess moisture. that has been added to it from the melting; of the ice, will be separated. ancl will be seized upon by the centrifugal force and thrown out of the air: leaving" the air COOlMi and (try and agreeable.

Qt course. other cooling auents than melt-- ing' ice can be employed: in fact. any methotl for cooling the air may be used in connection With this invention. and the claims are therefore not limited to a process in which the cooling agent is ice. but include the use of any and all air cooling agents.

In the tlrawingzs. which acconi 'mnv the specification to aid the descriptimr. a simple form of apparatus. which is adapted to be used as a table air cooler. is illustrated: but.

of course, the invention is not limited to such a cooling apparatus. in said drawings. FIQ'UIQ 1 1S a longitudinal yertuwal sectlon of a table air cooler. Fig". 9 i an enlargecl plan and horizontal section on the plane oi the brolten line 2--2. Fig. is a section on the plane of the line 3--3 of Fig. 1, anti illustrating a rotary airmitlet damper, located below the ice container.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section and plan of the valve or damper at the air inlet, which opens into the vessel containing the cooling substance.

A, is a vessel preferably of metal and of cylindrical cross section, provided with a removable cover A, having an air inlet passage controlled by a valve or rotary damper B, with a handle 6 to rotate the same, and containing a receptacle C for ice or other air cooling substance. \Vhen ice is to be used, said receptacle C is preferably formed of suitable wire mesh or perforated sheet metal, and the mouth or outlet sleeve D of said receptacle C (which receptacle is preferably of conoidal shape at its lower part) is also closed by perforated sheet metal or wire mesh as indicated.

Said vessel A is connected by a perforated sleeve D with the open flanged upper end of an inverted bell F, which is fitted at its open lower edge into an annulus G, which is provided with any suitable number of hollow legs H-H; said legs serving as drain pipes to convey the water which is separated out of the air to the liquid receptucle J, from which the water may be removed when necessary by a cock L. Since the suction induced by a fan draws in air through said perforated sleeve D, I prefer to increase the control over the amount of I air by equipping said sleeve D with a rotary damper E, provided with a handle e, so that said damper or valve E may be adjusted to the amount of air which it is desirable to admit through said damper.

in said bell F is located a rotor or fan provided with any suitable number of blades F, and revolved by any suitable motor M, preferably an electric motor. Secured to the outer end of said fan blades F, is a perforated screen of wire mesh or any suitable metal K. A convenient construction for con necting the fan blades with the motor is to fasten the hollow rotor boss at of the hub N to the motor shaft on as indicated in Fig. 1, so that the water falling on the top of hub 'N is broken into a spray and thrown outward. Suitable bearings for the axis of said rotor and the shaft of said motor are provideddii the stationary part of the apparatus; and T preferably form. the cover of said water receptacle J with a central up ward extension 5 in which is secured the stationary outer case of said motor M.

I prefer to provide an air outlet valve or damper 0 around outside of said flange G and said legs H H, so as to regulate the escape of the cooled air; 0 being a handle to rotate said damper O; and I also prefer to arrange said damper (3 so that it can be when desired, lifted up so as to provide an unobstructed escape for the cooled air from all around the apparatus. It may be prefarable, however, in some cases, to have one saturation is lowered, and the watery gas is condensed into dew or watery globular vapor. The swiftly revolving fan imparts high rotary velocity to the air and the free dew or watery vapor therein (hereinafter termed water) and throws said water out of the air and out through said revolving screen K, which prevents the return of the water.

to again mix with the now dried and cooled air. The water therefore falls down and passes through said hollow legs HH into said water receptacle J, from which it is drawn off as desired by a cock L. The dried and cooled air, (being lighter than the water, and the space outside of said screen K within said bell F being clo'sed against the escape of air) remains within said screen K, and

passes down and outwardly through the opening or openings in said outlet damper O, supplying delightful cool and dry air at the table.

It will be understood that said apparatus can be located in anv desired place or position, as being suspended from ceilings, supported on walls, or placed in other posi tions, and that in all cases, the process operates in substantially the same manner as hereinbefore explained.

It will also be readily understood that the volume of air admitted through said inlet valves B and E, can be regulated according to the degree of opening of said valves, and that the volume of the dried and cooled air discharged can be thereby regulated as well as by said discharge valve or damper 0.

Now having described my improvements I claim as my invention: 7

1. The combination in apparatus for cooling and drying air of a receptacle provided with air inlet and outlet for air cooling material, a fan operatively connected with said receptacle to induce a flow of air through said cooling material and to expel the watery vapor by the centrifugal force induced by said fan, a perforated screen outside of said fan, a closed receptacle outside of said screen provided with outlets for the expelled water, and a separate discharge conduit for the cooled dry air from the interior of said screen.

2. The combination in apparatus for cooling and drying air, of a receptacle for air memeee 3 eooling material, a fan adapted. to break water lnto a; spray and t0 expel Water from the cooled an, a channel connecting the said receptacle with the fan within the periph- I ery ,of sand fan, and se amte an passages $01 the ch and cooled 2111' m ni for the Water qn! led in erefrom.

Signed at New York city, in the county of I New York and State of New York, this 21st day of September, A. D. 1911.

WILLIAM J'. BALDWIN. Witnesses: WILLIAM PATTERSON,

WALTER HARRIS. 

